Knight Of The Living Dead: Havasu Buries Somerton 55-0

By Lonnie Stevenson

The Lake Havasu Knights wasted no time turning Halloween night into a nightmare for the visiting Somerton Toros.

On the very first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Halo Jump connected with junior Luke Johnson for a 48-yard touchdown strike that electrified the home crowd and set the tone for what would become a 55-0 rout.

Moments later, the Knights’ defense joined the party. Sophomore Niko Bailey stepped in front of a Somerton pass and raced untouched for a pick-six, giving Havasu a quick 14-0 lead. After senior Owen Merrill recovered a fumble on the Toros’ next possession, the Knights capitalized again with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jump to junior Koen Taylor to stretch the advantage to 20-0 by the end of the first quarter.

The dominance continued throughout the night as Lake Havasu’s offense rolled, and its defense refused to yield. By halftime, the Knights had built a commanding 41-0 lead with Jump connecting twice with sophomore Maddox Cosentino, once from 38 yards and again from 18 yards.

Backup quarterback Jay Deason came in and was able to connect from 26 yards out to senior Bryan Sowell with 1:58 left before halftime. That commanding lead allowed the coaching staff to rotate in players across the roster while still preserving the shutout.

In the 3rd quarter, Deacon was able to connect from 13 yards out with junior Noah Smith and the final Havasu score came in the 4th quarter when senior Roman Green was able to scamper in from 5 yards out, giving Havasu its final points.

The win capped off the regular season in fitting fashion for a Havasu squad ranked No. 5 in the state entering the game. It was also an emotional Senior Night, as 21 seniors suited up for the final time on their home field — and they made it one to remember.

Here are photos from the senior walk before the game.

Fighting Knights LHHS Football Lake Havasu RiverScene Havasu Jillian Danielson Photography

Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

“What a great legacy this group’s had,” head coach Karl Thompson said after the game. “They had to come in and be battle hardened as sophomores and can now reap the benefit right now, (ending the season 8-2).”

That sophomore team ended the season 3-7 followed by a 5-5 campaign last year.

“It was a great night, and we were able to get a lot of guys in tonight,” Thompson added. “With the JV season coming to an end those guys are able to come in and give us some additional depth with a few of our regular guys still nursing some injuries.”

Despite the decisive victory, the Knights dropped to No. 10 in the final rankings announced Saturday morning and will now host a first-round playoff game at home Friday, against 23rd-seeded Sierra Linda Bulldogs. Game time is 7 p.m.

Both teams enter the matchup with identical 8-2 records, setting the stage for what should be a highly competitive postseason opener under the lights in Lake Havasu.

The last time Havasu qualified for the playoffs was 2022 when that team came up 1 game short of playing in the 4A Championship game, losing a semi-final game to eventual state champion ALA – Gilbert North.